Hi There Grade Twelve St. Joe’s Girl!
Welcome to Grade 12 Academic or AP English. For your summer reading assignment, please read Pride
and Prejudice, which is readily available at the Toronto Public Library (120 copies), regular and used
bookstores, Amazon.ca (new and used copies) and in e-book format on-line.
Last year, you studied the nightmarish, hellish, world of Satire and Irony where heroes were absent
and chaos, cruelty, hypocrisy, immorality, injustice, madness and misery prevailed. This year, you will
study Comedy (Pride and Prejudice, The Stone Angel, King Lear, A Doll’s House etc.). The central theme is
the human spirit’s potential for renewal. Comedy ends with a transformation of ironic confusion. The
comic spirit is one of hope for the future (i.e. love and marriage) and faith in human endurance over
time (i.e. social and/or spiritual redemption).
In the attached novel study, please read the background material before you read the novel because
the role of women, the behaviour between the sexes and inheritance laws in the 19th century are
dramatically different from the 21st Century. Do not do the exercises in the Literature and Writing
sections on pages 15 and 19.
As you read, make extensive point-form notes and cite quotations (with specific page numbers)* on
the topic of romantic relationships or female friendships in the novel (choose the topic that interests
you more, as soon as possible).** Submit your work to your Semester 1 English teacher on the Friday of
the second week in September. If you take English in Semester 2, submit your work to Ms. Pregelj
in the library on the same second Friday in September. This work will be marked as part of your
ISU process mark. In addition, you will write a reading comprehension at the beginning of the
semester you take English to reward you for reading Pride and Prejudice with care.
We want you to enjoy the good weather and time with family and friends. However, we believe this
assignment will build your confidence and lessen your English workload. We are a strong reading
community. We want you to be engaged intellectuals and colourful conversationalists!
If you have any questions, please contact me at [email protected] Have a safe and happy
summer. See you in September.
Sincerely,
Dr. Miriam Purtill
Head of English Department
* In order to protect students from those who plagiarize (i.e. cut and paste others’ ideas from the
Internet), all notes/quotations (with specific page numbers) must be hand-written in pen or pencil.
** It is better to read a few chapters at a time (to enjoy the flow of the plot) and then go back and make
essay notes/cite quotes (with specific page numbers), etc. about one of the assigned topics.
Meet Jane Austen
That young lady had a talent for describing
the involvements and feelings and characters of
ordinary life which is to me the most wonderful
I ever met with. . . . What a pity such a gifted
creature died so early!
—Sir Walter Scott, 1826
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
J
ane Austen lived to the age of forty-one.
Choosing not to marry, she spent her entire life
among family and friends, mainly in Hampshire, a
peaceful rural county in southern England. By modern standards her life might seem restricted and
uneventful. But Austen happily immersed herself in
this domestic setting, and even more happily
observed it, for personal and family relationships
were grist for her imagination as a writer. The seemingly narrow scope of her life made her an expert
on human behavior and provided all the material
she needed for her six enduring novels.
Austen wrote about the “ordinary people” she
knew best, members of the English middle class
who, through professions or businesses, had risen to
the level of land-owning gentry. Austen herself was
the daughter of a clergyman, whose wife was from
an upper-class family. Austen was born in 1775. She
was especially close to her only sister Cassandra and
much admired by her six brothers.
The Austen household was a lively and literary
one. The Austens were avid readers of literature,
and they discussed it often. They frequently read
Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
aloud to each other and put on plays. Jane began
writing around age eleven. Throughout her teen
years, she wrote parodies of popular literature for
the entertainment of her family. One form that she
skillfully imitated was the sentimental novel. Filled
with clichés, it usually featured a swooning and
blushing heroine, a noble hero, and a melodramatic
plot involving a delayed courtship.
By the time Austen was in her early twenties,
she was beginning to write full-length novels. At
first she kept this serious writing a secret from her
family, but they soon became ardent supporters. In
1795 Austen began work on one of her best-known
novels, Sense and Sensibility. In 1797 Austen’s
father submitted an early version of Pride and
Prejudice to a publisher, but it was rejected. Both
were rewritten before their eventual publication in
1811 and 1813, respectively.
In 1801 Austen’s family moved to Bath, a fashionable resort town. Family memoirs hint that in
the years that followed Austen fell in love with a
young clergyman, who died suddenly. At age 26,
she agreed to marry a wealthy man but broke off the
engagement the next day. While his fortune would
have protected her from an old age in poverty, she
may have known they were not a good match.
In all of her novels, Austen focuses on
courtship and marriage. In each case, readers see
society—one that had narrow and rigid expectations for women—through the eyes of a lively and
perceptive young heroine. Filled with wit and
good humor, Austen’s novels at the same time
provide a realistic picture of relationships between
men and women.
Critics marvel at Austen’s superb craftsmanship:
her intricate and balanced plots; her sparkling dialogue; her deftly controlled ironic tone, amusing
and critical at the same time. Readers of all kinds
delight in her sharply drawn characters and her
insights into human nature. The seeming effortlessness of her writing, along with its great readability
and lifelike characters, attest to Austen’s skill as a
writer. As twentieth-century author Virginia Woolf
noted, “Of all great writers she is the most difficult
to catch in the act of greatness.”
9
Introducing the Novel
Single women have a dreadful propensity for
being poor—which is one very strong argument
in favour of matrimony.
—Jane Austen, 1816
10
THE TIME AND PLACE
The novel takes place in England in the early
1800s, during a time known as the Regency period.
The term refers to England’s ruler between 1810
and 1820, George IV. He served as regent, or substitute monarch, his father, George III who suffered
increasingly from periods of insanity. Most of the
novel’s action occurs in the homes of middle- and
upper-class families living in the countryside not far
from London.
The Regency period is sometimes called the
age of elegance. By the early 1800s, the industrial
revolution had been in full swing for several
decades and was transforming English society.
Technology was making commerce and manufacturing more efficient and profitable. As a result,
many middle-class business owners and professionals became wealthy. The newly rich were eager to
adopt the lifestyle of England’s traditional landed
aristocracy. They displayed their wealth in large
country homes with landscaped grounds, fine
carriages, and elegant fashions.
The upwardly mobile middle class, isolated
in their life of comfort and leisure, generally
gave little thought to what was going on outside
their world. The economic system that had made
them prosperous, however, had left others struggling to survive. In the age of industrialism,
work that had previously been done manually
was now being done by machines. Many were
left unemployed. A third of the country was living near starvation—a situation that fueled
Pride and Prejudice Study Guidenn
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Austen’s grimly humorous observation about
women’s lives, made in a letter, sums up the social
fact that is the starting point for Pride and
Prejudice. In the early 1800s, few middle-class
women could choose not to marry or to marry
simply for love. In general, women could not enter
occupations and earn their own living. A young
woman might become a governess, but this job
paid little and had a status only slightly above that
of a servant. A few middle-class women did earn
money writing, as Jane Austen did, but they seldom made enough to live on. In addition, few
women inherited wealth. By tradition, property
and money were passed down through the male
side of the family. Thus, for most women, marriage
was the only path to financial security.
Given this circumscribed situation, women
devoted themselves to attracting a husband. Usually
this meant becoming “accomplished” in what were
considered the ladylike arts, such as singing, playing
the piano, drawing, and dancing. Reciting wellknown poems, embroidering, and painting designs
on tables were other “accomplishments” for young
ladies. Because their adult lives would be spent in
the domestic sphere, a well-rounded education was
not considered essential for girls. Although some
fathers, such as Austen’s, encouraged their daughters’ intellectual development, girls seldom received
the systematic education their brothers did.
Elizabeth Bennet, the novel’s main character, is
typical of young middle-class women of the time in
her predicament. But she is anything but typical in
her character. Readers from Jane Austen’s day to
the present have singled out Elizabeth as one of the
most intriguing female characters in fiction. Austen
is known for her complex and appealing heroines.
As one critic noted:
For the first time in English literature, outside
Shakespeare, we meet heroines who are credible,
with minds, with the capacity to think for
themselves, with ambition and wit.
In the novel, Austen poses universal questions
in a microcosmic setting: How can a complex person maintain his or her individuality and freedom
in a world of social pressures and restrictions? How
do preconceived notions affect people’s relationships? Inevitably, Elizabeth must contend with some
inner limitations as well as outer ones. The novel
charts her path to self-discovery as she gets to know
another complex character, Fitzwilliam Darcy.
Often called a “comedy of manners,” Pride and
Prejudice balances laughter and compassion as it
tells the story of two people undergoing a rigorous
self-examination.
social unrest. Bread riots and worker protests
were met with force and repressive measures,
such as denying freedom of speech. In addition,
England was experiencing an agricultural
depression and, until 1815, was fighting the
Napoleonic wars in Europe.
Many critics find it odd that Jane Austen’s
novels almost totally exclude these important
events, for she would certainly have been aware
of them. But Austen’s focus was consistent
with the subject she had chosen to depict. Her
novels faithfully reflect the self-centered view
of the well-to-do classes. Moreover, as an artist,
Austen knew what her particular gifts were:
observing and commenting on the manners and
morals of the middle class she knew intimately.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Did You Know?
In Jane Austen’s day, many people who read
novels were ashamed to admit it. At that
time the term novel had a negative connotation. It referred to the most popular literature of the day—sentimental romances
featuring refined and emotional heroines
who are rescued from dangerous situations
by handsome and courageous heroes. Such
books were churned out quickly and
devoured by a mainly female middle-class
audience. Closely related to the sentimental
novel was the gothic novel, whose hallmarks
included dark castles, secret chambers, and
rusty daggers dripping with blood. “Mere
trash” was what Austen called this popular
fiction.
Austen was familiar with the “fashionable
novels” of the time and even parodied one in
her mock-gothic Northanger Abbey (1818).
But she admired the more realistic novels
written earlier in the eighteenth century,
especially those of Samuel Richardson.
Richardson’s novels were studies of everyday
middle-class characters, who stood out for
their intellectual and moral qualities, rather
than their social connections. Austen also
admired Fanny Burney, another author who
Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
wrote about
middle-class society but focused on female
characters. Burney used Richardson’s epistolary form, in which a story is told entirely
through letters, in her novel, Evelina. After
Evelina, however, Burney shifted to using a
third-person narrator, who reports on and filters the characters’ internal thoughts.
When Austen began to write novels, she
adopted the form of Burney’s later work.
Having an omniscient, or all-knowing, narrator allowed Austen to control point of view
more closely and to present her characters’
inner thoughts and feelings. At the same
time, through the voice of the narrator she
could convey a contrasting, or critical, view
of the action. This contrast between the
awareness of the characters and that of the
narrator and the reader is known as dramatic irony. While Austen’s ironic perspective is subtle and always good-humored, her
writing clearly makes readers aware of her
characters’ follies and shortcomings.
Through her realistic and sophisticated
approach to fiction, Austen helped to transform the status of the novel in the 1800s.
She also invented a new form of fiction, the
11
Before You Read
Pride and Prejudice Chapters 1–12
FOCUS ACTIVITY
Do you pay attention to first impressions? How do you form an opinion about someone you are meeting
for the first time?
List and Discuss
As a class, list four or five things that influence people when forming a first impression of a new acquaintance. Rank these items from most important to least important. Then discuss whether first impressions
are usually reliable and why.
Setting a Purpose
Read to find out how first impressions shape the relationship of the two main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy.
BACKGROUND
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
archly [a#rch5le$] adv. brashly; mischievously
censure [sen5sh@r] n. disapproval
disconcerted [dis2k@n surt5@d] adj. thrown into confusion
entail [en ta$l5] v. to limit the inheritance of (property) to a specified line of heirs
vexed [vekst] adj. irritated; annoyed
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Pride and Prejudice Study Guidenn
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The Social Setting
In Pride and Prejudice, almost all of the characters are members of England’s middle to upper-middle class.
This social class includes both the “new rich,” families who have acquired wealth through trade or business, and the “old rich,” families who have inherited their wealth. Although these two groups share a
similar lifestyle, Austen shows that there are significant differences in income and social prestige between
them. These differences play a critical role in the relationship between Darcy and Elizabeth. Austen also
highlights finer social distinctions within these two groups. Elizabeth’s father, Mr. Bennet, inherited his
rather modest estate but cannot pass it on to his wife or daughters—only to a male relative. Mr. Bingley,
the Bennets’ new neighbor, has a handsome income, but it is not as great as Mr. Darcy’s. Lady Catherine
de Bourgh, like Darcy, is a member of the upper class, but her rank is even higher for she has a title. Terms
such as “Sir” and “Lady” signified either an inherited title or a knighthood received for a particular service
of great merit. Elizabeth’s good friend, Charlotte, is the daughter of Sir William Lucas, a man “formerly in
trade” whose social status rose a notch when he received a knighthood. Charlotte, like Elizabeth, however, is not endowed with a great fortune.
Did You Know?
Pride and Prejudice opens with one of the most famous first lines in English literature: “It is a truth universally
acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.” This sentence
tells us much about the author’s purpose and attitude. It states one of the novel’s main themes: the relationship of money and marriage. It also sets an ironic tone. The truth about the “marriage market” was just the
opposite. It was single young women who did not possess a fortune who were most in want of a husband. The
author turns this truth upside down, in a way that surprises and amuses the reader. There is also humor in
the fact that she uses dignified language to describe a crude fact of life. However, as Austen unfolds her plot
and develops her characters, it becomes clear that she views one’s choice in marriage as a serious matter.
This section introduces several eligible young women and men. As you read, try to discover what motivates
each of these characters in their pursuit of a suitable mate.
Name Date Class Active Reading
Pride and Prejudice Chapters 1–12
The relationships between the major characters in the novel are introduced in these first chapters. Some
of these relationships are well established when the novel begins; others are just developing. As you read
Chapters 1–12, complete the diagram below. Write one or two words that describe each character. Then
describe the attitudes that the characters connected by arrows have toward each other.
Charlotte
Miss Bingley
sensible
loyal
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
ct
e ct
e
re s p
re s p
Elizabeth
Darc y
Jane
Bingley
Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
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Name Date Class Responding
Pride and Prejudice Chapters 1–12
Personal Response
Do you think Elizabeth’s first impression of Darcy was justified? Before you answer, review
the list you made for the Focus Activity on page 12.
Analyzing Literature
Recall and Interpret
1. At the first ball, what facts does the narrator give about Darcy? How do the guests perceive him? What is Elizabeth’s first impression of him? Why?
3. At Sir William Lucas’s gathering, how does Darcy act around Elizabeth? At Netherfield,
what are their conversations like?
14
Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
2. Who is Charlotte Lucas? What comment does she make about Jane? What do you
suppose is the reason behind such a comment?
Name Date Class Responding
Pride and Prejudice Chapters 1–12
Analyzing Literature (continued)
Evaluate and Connect
4. Why, do you think, is Darcy attracted to Elizabeth? What appealing qualities does she
have?
5. Charlotte Lucas says, “Happiness in marriage is entirely a matter of chance.” What does
this statement reveal about her? Do you agree with her statement? Explain.
Literature and Writing
A Funny Relationship
Mr. Bennet and Mrs. Bennet are a source of much humor in the early chapters of the novel.
Write an analysis of these two characters. First, consider them separately. What adjectives
would you use to describe each character? What are some humorous comments each one
makes? Why do we laugh at these comments? Then, consider them as a couple. How would
you describe the Bennets’ marriage? Is it an example of a happy marriage? Why might Austen
have opened the novel by sketching their relationship? Use examples of dialogue and other
evidence from the novel to back up your ideas about these characters.
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Extending Your Response
Literature Groups
Jane Austen is a master at revealing character through dialogue. She prefers to show rather
than tell what the characters are like. In your group, assign one or two chapters from this section to each person. Skim to find lines of dialogue that reveal something important about
Darcy and Elizabeth. Then, take turns reading aloud, in chapter order, the statements or
passages of dialogue that you selected. Discuss how the passage gave you insight into the character’s personality and relationships with others. If time allows, repeat this procedure for other
characters, such as Bingley, Jane, Charlotte Lucas, and Caroline Bingley.
Learning for Life
Knowing how to conduct oneself in social settings is important for success in life. In the early
nineteenth century, as today, certain spoken and unspoken rules helped people interact
smoothly and courteously. In a small group, develop a list of six to ten rules of conduct that
seem to guide the behavior of the characters in Pride and Prejudice. For example, how should
one go about meeting a new neighbor? What rules should be followed when making introductions or conversing at a ball? What courtesies are expected when visiting in someone’s home?
Share your lists with other groups, noting similarities and differences.
Save your work for your portfolio.
Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
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Before You Read
Pride and Prejudice Chapters 13–24
FOCUS ACTIVITY
When someone says something good or bad about another person, do you tend to believe what
you’ve heard?
Quickwrite
Describe on paper a time when you received “hearsay” information about another person. How did you
decide whether to believe the person who spread the information?
Setting a Purpose
Read about Elizabeth and the new information she receives about Darcy.
BACKGROUND
VOCABULARY PREVIEW
[@ bom5@ n@b@l] adj. deserving scorn; hateful
condescend [kon2di send5] v. to assume a superior manner
dissemble [di sem5b@l] v. to hide; to disguise
imprudent [im proo
$$$d5@nt] adj. unwise
incredulous [in krej5@ l@s] adj. unbelieving; skeptical
lament [l@ ment5] v. to express sorrow or regret
pompous [pom5p@s] adj. pretentious; overly dignified
abominable
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Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Did You Know?
This section introduces one of Austen’s comic creations, the Reverend Mr. Collins. During Austen’s time,
clergy in the Church of England increasingly came from the upper middle class. The occupation was
viewed as a learned and prestigious profession, providing a moderate income.
After being ordained, or certified as a minister, following a period of study, a clergyman in the Church
of England was given a living, meaning a house and job, in a church district, or parish. The minister was
called a parson and his house, which was usually modest but comfortable, the parsonage. In some parishes,
as in the case of Mr. Collins, a wealthy landowner might become a financial sponsor, or patron, of the
local church. As you read, notice how Mr. Collins is closely linked with his patron, the intimidating Lady
Catherine de Bourgh.
Plot and Subplots
Elizabeth and Darcy are clearly at the center of the main plot in Pride and Prejudice. A closely related
subplot—involving Bingley and Elizabeth’s sister Jane—has already been introduced. In the next section of
the novel, Austen develops two more subplots that both complicate and advance the main action of the
story. One subplot introduces a charming young soldier named George Wickham. Like Darcy, Wickham
makes a strong first impression on Elizabeth. The other subplot involves the pretentious clergyman
Mr. Collins, a distant relative of the Bennets who will inherit their home, known as Longbourn, after
Mr. Bennet dies. As you read, think about how Austen interweaves these two subplots with the main
action. How do they add an element of suspense to the plot? How do they affect the mood of the story?
How do they deepen the reader’s understanding of the two main characters, Elizabeth and Darcy?
Name Date Class Active Reading
Pride and Prejudice Chapters 13–24
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
The pace of the novel quickens as two subplots unfold. One subplot concerns Elizabeth and Wickham, the
other concerns Elizabeth and Mr. Collins. As you read, use the chart below to analyze why the various
characters think or act as they do. To analyze their motives or reasons, think about what the character
says about himself or herself as well as what others have to say about the character.
Mr. Collins decides to propose to
one of the Bennet daughters
because
Wickham does not have warm
feelings for Darc y
because
Bingley’s sister, Caroline, disapproves of Wickham
because
Jane believes Darcy could not have
mistreated Wickham
because
At the Netherfield ball, Elizabeth is
embarrassed by her family
because
Mr. Collins does not accept
Elizabeth’s rejection of his proposal
because
Charlotte accepts Mr. Collins’s
proposal
because
Nearly everyone adopts a low opinion of Darc y
because
Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
he wants to make up for inheriting
Longbourn in their place but also thinks
one of them would make a suitable wife.
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Name Date Class Responding
Pride and Prejudice Chapters 13–24
Personal Response
Which scene or chapter in this section did you most enjoy? Why?
Analyzing Literature
Recall and Interpret
1. When Wickham and Elizabeth first meet, what report does Wickham give Elizabeth
about Darcy? What second impression does Wickham make on her? What is your
impression of Wickham?
2. How does Elizabeth respond to Mr. Collins’s proposal? What does her response reveal
about her character?
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Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
3. What event leaves Jane feeling downcast? Why is Elizabeth angry at Bingley, his sisters,
and Darcy?
Name Date Class Responding
Pride and Prejudice Chapters 13–24
Analyzing Literature (continued)
Evaluate and Connect
4. How does Wickham’s story deepen Elizabeth’s prejudice against Darcy? Before you
answer, review your response to the Focus Activity on page 16.
5. Do you share Elizabeth’s shock at Charlotte’s engagement to Mr. Collins? Explain.
Literature and Writing
Summary
Summarize the two subplots involving Wickham and Elizabeth, and Mr. Collins and
Elizabeth. Review the chart you completed in the Active Reading on page 17. Explain how
the actions of Wickham and Mr. Collins advance the main plot. How do their actions help
us learn more about the main character, Elizabeth?
Copyright © by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.
Extending Your Response
Literature Groups
The author places Mr. Collins at the center of some of the funniest scenes in the novel. In
your group, discuss the character of Mr. Collins. Find examples of his behavior and speech
that bring out his personal traits. Also, look for direct statements made about him by the
other characters and by the narrator. Focus particularly on Chapters 13, 14, 15, and 19. As
you discuss, make a list of ten adjectives or phrases that describe Mr. Collins. Then, think
about what purpose Austen might have had in making Mr. Collins such a ridiculous figure.
What aspects of society or human nature might she be criticizing?
Speaking and Listening
Knowing the right questions to ask is a skill that can help you in many settings—at work, at
school, and in community activities. Write a question to ask each character who appears in
this section of the novel. Answering the question should allow the character to state something important about his or her motives, actions, or relationships with other characters.
Then, as a class, ask and answer your questions in round-robin fashion:
• The first person should turn to the student in the next seat and, using the character’s
name, ask a question. For example, “Jane, why were you disappointed when Bingley left
Netherfield?”
• The next student should answer the question using “I” and then pose a new question to
the third student.
• Proceed in this way through the entire class. If students listening to the questions
strongly disagree with an answer, allow a moment for brief comments.
Save your work for your portfolio.
Pride and Prejudice Study Guide
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